During the 1960-70’s, the wholesale use of new (and often underdeveloped) biocides as a weapon against micro-organisms in food production and healthcare was prevalent and it was not until the 1980’s when it was proven that these had caused serious biological and environmental harm that worldwide action was taken to largely ban the use of these toxic chemicals from use, although some remained such as formaldehyde and its derivatives (since removed from medical use as causing asthma and cancer).

Interest was then shown in the Russian space programme which had developed a method of cold sterilisation for the microbial cleaning of prisms and mirrors used on earth orbit satellites, involving the hydrolysis of common salt across a membrane, a process called electro-chemical activation of brine (ECAB).

ECAB has since been used as a method of water treatment in commercial and industrial applications, including human waste treatment and oil exploration, ensuring that water courses and the environment have not been overly contaminated by the primary sources.

Medipure Limited

Since 1999, Jim Daly, Managing Director of Medipure has been actively involved in exploring the potential of ECAB as a replacement for chlorine which has been a most effective disinfectant for over a century, eradicating many harmful diseases caused by population growth and poor living conditions. However it has been documented and proved that chlorine when combined with organic material will produce dangerous carcinogenic products or side effects that do not allow widespread use of this chemical on safety or environmental grounds.

Suprox oxygenated water, a blend of electrolysed brine and electrolysed acid water, has been developed by Medipure and branded as Suprox to provide a unique ECAB biocidal liquid that provides the cleaning strengths and benefits of chlorine without the dangerous side effects, ensuring no toxic or other side effects to humans or animals.

As Suprox is biodegradable, it is therefore not detrimental to the environment or aquatic life.

Medipure have also developed the technology and experience required to enable the product to remain stable and active in storage for up to 24 months, making it an ideal healthcare industry cold sterilisation tool with excellent sporicidal, fungicidal and bactericidal powers whilst at the same time